The Mt. Juliet Board of Commissioners got a bit closer to finalizing the liquor store regulations.

The item had to come back to a first reading because so much had been changed from the original regulations. Mostly minor changes were adjusted Monday during the meeting, and the decision on how many stores could be in the city was further discussed.

The ordinance stated that they would allow one liquor store for every 8,000 people, but no more than three. Mt. Juliet has already passed the population numbers to achieve three, and will pass 32,000 sometime down the road.

“It’s basically saying we are going to have three,” said Commissioner Ray Justice. “It’s actually contradictory.”

Justice tried to amend to remove the limit of three stores from the wording, but didn’t receive a second. He then tried to eliminate the one store per 8,000 people wording, but didn’t get a second as well.

“By the time we reach that trigger point in the city, we will be long gone,” said Mayor Ed Hagerty. He said that can be changed by a future commission if they wish.

The wording stayed that there would be one store per 8,000 people but no more than three.

Jim Bradshaw asked that it be added into the City’s language that no lottery or games of chance will be allowed in the stores. It is currently against state law to have them, but he wanted to make sure that if state law changed, they could still enforce it.